riversair

Agreed, I have never gotten sick at any oberoi or tajhotel

robyng

I agree with what's been said above about the food. But - to me - part of the fun of travel is exploring dining. Eating whatever I want to without having to worry about it. Think you'll agree you can't do that in most second/third world countries - including India. Robyn

Fliar

I'll probably be in India for business late in October and am hoping to squeeze in another 5 days after my engagements. I was thinking DEL-AGRA (1 night) - and then spend some time in either Amanbagh or Aman-i-khas...which would you recommend? Would it be better to take the train back or get a Jet Airways flight to connect with my Jet flight to London?

Ericka

Some people on here are big Aman-i-Khas fans. Others are big Amanbagh fans. I'm partial to Aman-i-Khas as I feel there is more personal attention. That said, these are very different experiences.

Aman-i-Khas is about animals/tigers, spectacular natural scenery, and those terribly romantic tents.

Amanbagh is about culture.

I'm not sure how the flight return would work so I'll let someone else comment.

vuittonsofstyle

Jet does not fly from Agra, only Kingfisher, and the flight is not very reliable - constant cancellations in my experience.

I would take the train from Delhi to Agra as it is the most reliable and least scary option (driving takes hours and even the dual carriageways are slow because people drive on the wrong side of the road - including trucks). Ask hotels to assist and meet and greet. Stay at The Oberoi Amarvilas.

Amanbagh would be my choice for your second hotel - no competition at all.

Fliar

Thanks Ericka and vuittionsofstyle - I was referring to getting back from Amanbagh...Is there a train or does one fly from Jaipur?

vuittonsofstyle

Aman can drive you to Delhi, but I would not advise it - it took us 5 hours. Better plan is to get Aman to drive you to Jaipur (90 mins), then fly to Delhi.

Bodacious

I've been going to india for 15 years and have stayed at some of the best and the worst. Jet is by far the best and would trust them (and their food) over almost any in the world. Sorry, but I have gotten sick at both the Taj (Mumbai) and the Hyatt (Mumbai) although they are good hotels. Never been sick at an Oberoi and think it is a wonderful chain...take them over Taj anytime. Bangalore Leela also pretty good.

Good luck.

camsean

Yeah i never got sick in three weeks travelling round India either.

ajay3210

Yes, you are absolutely right. You ought to give halts to experience the whole country. What about the idea of having it all at one place? Cool no. 'Kingdom of Dreams' that you should surely add on to your itenary! (located at Gurgaon, 30min. away from Delhi). This place will offer Bollywood musical theatre, stage shows, performing arts, Indian culture, heritage, crafts, cuisine and shopping under one roof and you won't have to travel a lot!

tmft

lots of great tips here, I've also devoured Ericka's trip report. We're building an "Aman India Journey" around a friends wedding near Jaipur. Our current schedule:

Arrive Sunday morning from US
Aman Delhi Sunday night
drive Monday to wedding (4 hours)
Wednesday morning drive to Amanbagh (2 hours)
Thur Amanbagh
Fri afternoon drive to Aman-i-Khas (3 hours)
Sat Aman-i-Khas
Sun 12:40 pm train to Delhi (arrive 6:40 pm) [trying to squeeze in a morning safari]
Mon AM fly home

To us, this already seems like plenty of driving (almost too much!). The safaris will also be ~3 hours in a car. We'd like to squeeze in the Taj, but adding in 8 more hours of travel time just seems exhausting. We looked at a helicopter from Aman-I-Khas to Taj, but it costs ~$8,000, far beyond our budget.

I think I'm asking permission to skip the Taj this trip. Should we also consider extending by one more day just to have more down time, or is this a doable, fun trip?

vuittonsofstyle

Given that driving in India is not like driving anywhere else, yes, I do think there is too much driving in your itinerary. It also seems to focus exclusively on the Amans of India, so therefore represents a hotel tour rather than a first (?) visit to India.

I think you are trying to pack too much into a very short stay.

juuceman

You're probably driving way too much on this trip. Travel within India is very different from travel anywhere else in the world, can be very grueling, and is not very efficient at times.

Additionally, the Aman in Delhi was probably the biggest letdown of our entire trip. I'd like to suggest that you substitute the Oberoi in Agra for Aman-i-Khas, and that you also substitute in the Oberoi in Delhi for the Aman in Delhi.

Enjoy your trip.

Ericka

Well, I'm one of the few people on this board who doesn't mind the driving...even in India. We drive far longer distances here at home with traffic jams etc. Maybe that's an American thing. I hope you have hired a driver, though and are not renting a car!!!!!

As for the itinerary, yes another day or two would be good just to help you relax between locations but ultimately you know what you can handle. Sometimes we have an opportunity to go someplace but circumstances keep our stays short. That doesn't mean we don't have a good time. I just spent two nights at Amanyara and some would call that crazy but that's all the time we had. I wouldn't take it back.

Yes, the Taj would be nice (one day is plenty). But don't ask me about giving up either Bagh or i-Khas!!!

P.S. Don't think about the safari time as car time. You'll be busy watching animals and scenery.

tmft

Thanks for the advice! Why was the Aman Delhi a letdown?

In reflection, I would much rather go to Aman-i-Khas than see the Taj if it's an either-or, but that's my own personal viewpoint.